Photograph: time flies

One of the few joys of passing through Dublin airport is that sometimes – depending on which gate you are using – you get to see the original airport building, completed in art deco style in 1941. Still in use for some airport operations, it is a particularly good example of the best architecture of that era.

5 Comments on “Photograph: time flies”

1941 just about says it right enough. Ten years late for the 30’s and vastly to small for the 50’s.
I’ll bet by the time this new one (T2) will be needed in about ten years time it will probably be in the wrong County.

To Vincent,
I was born in the early 1940’s and I remember my father taking my sister and me to watch the planes at “Collinstown” Airport, taking the privledged few to sunny climes, or likely the emigrants to wherever they could find work. It was a delightful day’s outing. We were easily pleased back then before TV. I am a member of the Irish diaspora now and I notice a regrettable tendancy among the spoiled 30somethings in Ireland to whine about everything, and be grateful for nothing, eventho’ they are more privledged than the young people of the 40’s and 50’s ever even dreamed of, and have a sense of entitlement that defies understanding. (What have you contributed to the world?) By the way the airport was NOT too small for the 50’s or even the 60’s come to that. No wonder the Irish economy has gone to pot! O yeah! that’s nothing to do with greed – it’s the government’s fault! I forgot!

I remember as a (priveleged) child of the sixties travelling through this building – when people dressed up to travel. I grew up moving between Nigeria and what is now Bangladesh and Ireland. Travel then was exotic. My father, who was an engineer working on infrastructure projects in both these countries was given the resources to bring his family home every 18 months or so would always choose to travel with Air France (or whatever it was called then) because the food was better. I still remember the chef walking down the plane asking how the patrons were and whether the food was alright.
This building holds a special place in my heart.

My best wishes to you Ferdinand in your new position. May travel between Dublin and Aberdeen be as exotic now as it was out of the original Dublin airport in the sixties.